Outdoor gas lights for insect destruction



June3, 1958 I H. w. STUMP 2,836,923 k OUTDOOR GAS LIGHTS FOR INSECT DESTRUCTION Filed April 50, 1957 MzWW United States Patent GAS LIGHTS FOR INSECT DESTRUCTION OUTDOOR This invention pertains to outdoor gas lights for insect destruction.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a burner apparatus for the vapors of liquid petroleum gas, such as propane, which will burn with a flame attractive to insects and will stay lit in all types of weather.

Another object is to provide an illuminating type burner apparatus for the gases of liquid petroleum gas, of the type which has a high kindling point and which, when lit, will not blow'out either because of the high velocity of the gas flow, or gusts of wind such as are ordinarily encountered out of doors.

Still another object is to provide a gas light adapted to burn the vapors of liquid petroleum gas, as an incandescent flame, having a color likely to attract insects which are desired to be destroyed, and provided with means for rekindling the flame in case it is blown out either by an excessive flow of gas or by unusual gusts of wind, and provided with means for shielding the flame from wind or air currents likely to extinguish it.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

I attain the foregoing objects by means of the devices, parts and assembly of parts shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a liquid petroleum gas burner embodying my improvements;

Figure 2 is a rear elevational view thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the burner portion of the burner assembly, shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a mid-sectional view of the burner shown in Figure 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views.

The burner 2 has an orifice cap or tip 3 provided with three main burner orifices 4, 4a and 4b drilled in the top end and opening into the bottom of diametrically extending groove 5. The two end orifices 4a and 4b also open into cross-grooves or channels 5:: and 5b which are cut in the top face of end 6 of the cap 3 at right angles to the groove 5. Groove 5 and grooves 5a and 5b have vertical parallel sides.

Igniter flame orifices are drilled radially into the annular sidewalls 7 'of the orifice cap, and are indicated by holes 8.

The orifice cap is threaded onto a supply pipe 16. A circular igniter flame deflector 12 is also threaded onto supply pipe 10. This deflector is positioned below the orifice cap 3 and has a substantially flat base 14 from which a flame diverting shield 16 extends outward and upward. The upper part of shield 16 is bell shaped and has a radially outward and upwardly flaring curve 17 over an inwardly curved portion 18, just above the base 14. Igniter orifices 8 are positioned so that gas or flame flowing from them strikes at the base of the outwardly and upwardly turned curve 17. The flow of gas from these holes is diverted upward by the outwardly and upwardly directed curve 17.

Orifice tip 3 acts as a lock nut to maintain the shield ice 12in place in pipe 10. Pipe 10 eXends downward to a gas storage tank 20 and is provided with a shutolf valve 21.

Just below the base of burner 2 I provide a horizontally rotatable wind shield which consists of horizontal bar or tube 24, centrally journalled on tube 10. A thrust collar 26 acts as a retention means to maintain tube 24 in position on pipe 10. On the front end of bar or tube 24 there is a windshield plate 28 which is composed of a flat sheet of metal large enough to shield and divert wind currents from burner 2 that otherwise might be blown toward and over it and extinguish the flame A. This shield may be provided with small vent holes 29 near its base so that under extreme conditions any vacuum formed by air traveling toward the plate in the direction of arrow 30, will not build up sutflciently to deprive the burner of enough air to stay lit. At the end of tube 24, opposite the shield 28, there is a wind vane 32 made of metal having an area suflicient to direct shield plate 28 toward wind currents or gusts that may blow over the burner 2, and having suflicient weight to balance shield 28. The shield assembly consisting of a bar or tube 24, shield 28 and vanes 32, rotates freely on pine 10 while being supported by thrust collar 26.

When gas is supplied to the orifice tip 3 by opening valve 21, gas issuing from the several orifice holes, above described, may be ignited and a comparatively flat main flame A will issue above the tip. Whereas gas issues from the separate holes 4, 4a and 4b, the groove 5 tends to flatten the flow of the gas, makes the main flame somewhat flat and keeps it from globular bulging. Crossgrooves 5a and 5b admit additional-air to the root of the flame. Flame A extends upward and is ordinarily three or four feet in length. The flame is supplied with oxygen from air surrounding the burner and no attempt is made to produce a colorless flame. On the contrary, the flow is regulated by valve 21 so that the base of the flame is slightly blue, the middle part is orange red, and the tip is white. It has been found that a flame of this type is most attractive to many types of night flying insects. These insects, being attracted to the flame, rush into it and are burned and destroyed. The igniter flames B extend upward from the lip 17a of the bell portion 17 of shield 12 and surround the main flame A. In case the flames issuing from orifices 4, 4a and 4b, blow themselves out, they are reignited by the igniter flames B. Since igniter flames have their root at the horizontal opening orifices 3, they will not be blown out by gas flow or small gusts of wind because the shield portions 17 and 18 are only a short distance from the flame root and heat accumulated on the inner surface of shield portions 17 and 18 tends to heat the gas flow from the orifices 8, and impinging of this gas flow on these shield portions slows its velocity so that the flame does not blow out. it is well known that liquid petroleum gases, such as the vapors of propane, butane and similar hydrocarbons, have a kindling temperature which is so high that they are inclined to blow themselves out if the velocity of gas escaping from the burner orifice exceeds a comparatively low velocity of flow. It is for this reason that igniting flames are usually used with burners of these gases. A burner of the type above described is adequate to keep the insect destroying flame A burning in still air or in a very light wind. However, when air gusts greater than five miles per hour are encountered, or apt to be encountered during use, the windshield 28 is necessary to keep the flame burning and makethe device dependable for outdoor use for destroying insects.

In use the burner, above described, is placed on a portable metal tank containing liquid petroleum fuel and set up in a field which has insects to be destroyed. The valve 21 is opened and the flame is ignited. A device of type is usually set up in the early evening and burns during a greater portion of the night. Insects will be attracted to the flame A and will be immediately destroyed. Should a wind disturbance occur during the nightthe windshield 28 will automatically swing to the 7 burner 20 from being blown out. a I, claim:

lfln an outdoor windward side of, the burner and willkeep the fiamer ot liduid petroleum gas burnerr for destroying insects and maintaining the burningfof a 'lumious' gas fiameattractive-to' insects, and resistant to blowoutgby wind currents,-having a vertical gas supply gas pressure tank, aburner cap on the upper end of this supply pipe having slots on its upper. face opening into burner orificesadaptedto'produce a long slender luminous open flame when gas underpressure is supplied to said orifices, and radial orifices extending thru the side walls of said cap to. provide igniter flames, a circularigniter flame deflector disposedon said supply pipe below said cap having an upwardly curved outer edge adapted to direct igniter flames from said radial orifices upward toward the luminous open flame issuing from the top vane on the opposite end offsaid bar; adapted'to rotate said bar to maintain said shield on the windward side of said burner 2. In an outdoorliquid petrolemn gas vapor burner for destroying night flying insects consisting of a vertical support and supply pipe adapted for attachment to a gas supply tank, a burner cap at the upper end of, said pipe having air supply grooves on its upper face and a plurality of burner orifices opening into the bottoms of said grooves adapted -to'produce a long somewhat flat luminous insect destroying flame, and radial igniter flame 'orifices, an igniter flame defiector below said cap to 'and supp'orting pipe adapted to be attached to aportable V deflect gas and flame upward around said insect destroying flame. and reignite said flame in-case' of blowout, and a rotatable windshield to prevent blowout of said insect destroying flameby wind currents, consisting of ahori zontal bar, journalled at its mid-portion'on said vertical 7 of the burner cap, in combination with a rotatable windgas supply pipe below said flame deflector, having a windshield plate transversely mounted at on end, provided with air holes near it's bottom to prevent theformation of a partial vacuumrbelow saidhurner, andfailong'itu dinally extending wind vane at the 'opposite'endharit I ReferencesiCited in t he' fil of this patent '7 i -UNrrep STATESPATENTS 

